


Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark

by Sjukdom



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-07-05
Packaged: 2018-07-21 18:22:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7398499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sjukdom/pseuds/Sjukdom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“It scared you!” Ed exclaimed, when he was finally able to speak again. “The movie we’ve watched tonight. I see that you've been quite impressed by it!”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark

An ethereal sound reached Oswald’s ears - a high-pitched whine, full of endless grief and anger. A piece of chop suey he was chewing on suddenly tasted like an old cardboard and felt too big and hard to swallow. He glanced around nervously, his jaws still clenching the piece of chicken helplessly.

“What was that?” he asked subtly, his mouth full. Edward, who was enjoying his own late meal peacefully sent him a confused look. The whine was to be heard again closer and louder this time, making Oswald jump a little and choke.

Ed got up and hurried to him, bumping into the table as he nearly ran around it to slap on Oswald’s back while he was coughing and blinking the tears off. When he caught his breath and drew up, clutching at his chest, Ed looked him in the eyes, obviously worried.

“What’s wrong?”

“What is this sound?” asked Oswald hoarsely. He listened carefully, trying to spot it over his own heavy breathing.

“You mean this?” Edward cocked his head to one side and nodded, hearing the whining sound. “Pipes. And you-”

He paused for a moment and looked at Oswald’s red face again, a wide grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“It scared you?” when Oswald blinked owlishly, Ed burst out laughing, leaning on his chair for support. Oswald pursed his lips and crossed his arms, looking in the other direction demonstratively while Edward was giggling and gaping for air to calm down.

“It scared you!” Ed exclaimed, when he was finally able to speak again. “The movie we’ve watched tonight. I see that you've been quite impressed by it!”

“Don’t talk nonsense”, muttered Oswald crossly. He moved away from Ed’s hand and started scraping bits of chop suey from the plate, producing an unpleasant screeching sound. “It was dumb and couldn’t scare anyone at all.”

“But you are scared”, Edward said teasingly, returning to his place. “Otherwise I see no reason for you to choke on your favorite food because of the noise pipes here have been making all the time.”

“I’m not scared”, said Oswald, underlining each word with a knock on the table. Angrily he poked the piece of chicken with a chopstick as if he was stabbing it to death.

“As you wish”, Edward smiled at the sight of him and resumed eating.

***

Edward was already in bed, pretending to be reading, but in fact he was secretly watching Oswald changing into his pajamas. Naturally, Ed liked to watch him undress and liked the things that followed even more. But watching Oswald putting clothes on felt special, like a whole new kind of intimacy he had never experienced before. Edward was so wrapped up in the view that when Oswald suddenly gasped and backed away, he also gave a start, dropping the book to the floor. It landed with a loud thump that made Oswald shudder again.

“What-”

Oswald kept staring at the window, tugging at his half-buttoned pajama shirt. In the light of the bedside lamp his eyes looked unnaturally big and dark with fear. Ed followed his glance to the moving silhouettes behind the curtains, sighed and rearranged his glasses.

“There are no evil ghosts here, Oswald.”

He looked at Ed with a wild expression on his face. His fear now felt so genuine that Edward didn’t even have the desire to laugh. He patted the place on the bed right next to him. 

“It’s just street lanterns. Come here and take a nap.”

Oswald pulled himself together and went on buttoning his shirt with the kind of arrogance any king would be jealous of.

“I’ve already told you, I’m-”

“Not scared”, Edward agreed, hiding a smile. “Come here anyway, it’s getting cold here.”

While waiting, Ed reached out for the book he had dropped, but changed his mind and left it opened on the floor. He sank back and wrapped himself tighter in the blanket. When Oswald finished dressing up for sleep, Edward took his glasses off and closed his eyes, slightly disappointed that the show was over. Oswald crawled on the bed and dove under the blanket, his hands and feet cold, whole body slightly shivering. Ed pulled him closer, embracing him with both hands and kissed his nape, his black hair with the familiar delicate musky smell tickling his face in the gentlest way possible.

Edward wanted to wish him a good night, but Oswald already seemed to be asleep. The wind that managed to sneak into the flat played with the pages of the book, leafing through them and pausing occasionally as if actually reading something. He removed one of his hands gently to switch the lamp off, when Oswald’s face suddenly appeared from under the blanket. Ed stared back at him, squinting to see his features more clearly.

“It’s the wind turning the pages of the book I dropped the last time you freaked out”, he explained soothingly before Oswald even managed to open his mouth. Half-blindly he drew his face closer to Oswald’s and went on speaking into his parted lips, lowering his voice to a whisper. “You should have told me that it’s not your kind of movie.”

Oswald sighed and kissed him lightly on the lips before returning to his place next to Ed’s.

“It’s just a stupid movie”, he muttered stubbornly somewhere into Edward’s neck. “None of it exists, it’s just some weirdo’s imagination.”

“That’s right”, said Ed encouragingly and yawned. Oswald’s lips left a sweet wetness on his mouth and he licked it away before getting himself comfortable. Well, as comfortable as he could with Oswald sticking to him like to a giant overlong cuddle bear.

“Except there are real ghosts”, said Oswald suddenly in a tight voice, his heartbeat getting quicker against Ed’s chest. “I have so many by my side.”

Edward opened his sleepy eyes at that remark, staring into the blurred twilight that surrounded their bed. He felt Oswald clutching his T-shirt, his body so tense as if he was about to cry. Ed stroked his cheek with the back of his hand, but it was dry.

“You think nasty ones would dare to approach you? They’d have to deal with me”, Edward pointed at himself though Oswald couldn’t see his gesture, his face buried in the comfortable place between Ed’s neck and shoulder. Nevertheless Oswald chuckled and nuzzled up his collarbone.

“Fair enough. You have a way with nasty ghosts”, finally he relaxed and his heartbeat began to slow down. Edward combed his fingers through his hair a couple of times and tried to reach the lamp with his free hand once again, when the soft murmur brushing over his skin stopped him.

“Hey, could you please leave it on?”

After a short moment of thinking, Edward decided to say nothing. He turned on his side, facing Oswald and pulled the blanket over their heads, creating a safe friendly darkness filled with comforting sound of their breathing around them. The darkness that was meant just for the two of them. There was no place for ghosts there.


End file.
